Through the many years of coaching, we have done our best to provide quality advice to our players in their journey to becoming the best player/selves they can be. 
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of Wisdom…”
Listed are a few of our most valuable ones that we have learned ourselves as competitors and what we constantly preach on the daily with them:
Focus on the factors you can control.
Your effort, your focus, your discipline, your game style, your technique, your schedule, etc. Worrying about things that are out of your control like: what the competition is doing, the ref, the draw, other people’s wins or losses, etc., is not a productive use of time and will not make you a better player.
Practice every day as if your life depended on it because your tennis life does.
Your final accomplishments in the game are just the sum and reflection of all of your daily efforts on the court. There is no time to waste.
It is what it is!
Ifs, buts, should haves, could haves or any other form of emotionally charged assessments, have no place when analyzing your performance. Look at every match coldly and objectively – what did I do well and what needs to improve? Then practice accordingly.
Put your ego aside. Stop comparing yourself.
Your level in tennis is always relative. You are great compared to some players and terrible compared to others. You do some things very well compared to some players and terribly compared to others. Who cares! Focus on what you need to improve and how to do it. Everything else is irrelevant.
Be the best athlete you can be.
Not being in the best possible shape is unacceptable if you are serious about your game. There are many things you cannot control but conditioning is a matter of effort. Put in the time, do not sabotage your success.
Seek competition and enjoy the challenge.
Learning to compete is essential for success in tennis and the only way to do this by putting it on the line regularly. Do not shun away from the battle, seek it out and learn to enjoy it.
Treat every match like the final of Wimbledon but let it go right after you are done.
Only maximum effort will give you a true evaluation of where you are, so respect every match opportunity. On the other hand, once the match is over, analyze it and let it go. Leave the emotional baggage behind. Do not let the result of one match negatively affect the next matches.
The competition is against yourself.
The biggest challenge in tennis is understanding that a match is more about yourself than about the opponent. Regardless of who you play against, the goal is always the same: Achieve a mental and physical state that will allow you to play up to your potential, then slightly adjust your game based on your opponent. That is all you can really do. Winning or loosing is out of your control. The true battle takes place within you!
Never forget that tennis is just a game.
Tennis is so demanding that it tends to take over our lives. However, on the grand scheme of things it is quite insignificant. Tennis is not who you are, it is what you like to do. It is only a game.
Have fun.
Unless you enjoy what you are doing there is no way you will be able to put in the hours and effort needed to be successful in this game. Work hard and take tennis seriously but never forget the fun.
For more valuable advice, click here.
“I can be quite the handful to teach… Chris and Angela are the best coaches I have ever had. They understand how to teach me … they know what they are talking about… and they motivate me to want to work hard… They commit to us and they believe in us.“
“As a current Division 1 level player, I am very appreciative to have gone through Chris and Angela’s training program on and off the court. Living two hours away from their training facility, they were able to work with me via email and phone. They sent me meal plans, workout plans and kept in touch with me on a regular basis. I would visit them a couple weekends a month and every weekend was always successful and valuable with the amount of training I went through. They pushed me out of my comfort zone day in and day out and helped me become a better player every time I stepped out on the court.
“Playing at LTA really made my tennis experience a great one. Being able to play with players who share the same commitment and intensity as myself has improved by game a lot. Angela and Chris did a great job on teaching me how to use my mind and understand point construction which helped me with the mental side of my game. The fitness training they incorporate has made me a top athlete. All of the stretches, circuit training and condition maked matches easier physically and mentally.”
“I will be honest, Angela and Chris’s coaching is the best you will find in the PNW. They are amazing people who have taught me more life lessons then they will ever know. This is an incredibly character strengthening experience. Tennis is a life application as well as all of the lessons that go hand in hand with the sport. Passion, Dedication and Commitment, LTA’s watchwords, give us the strength to persevere and become the best tennis players with every practice. And… if it makes any difference… our coaches are pretty darn HOT too!”